One Night Out, Two Lives Changed
by serafina19
Summary: A chance meeting leads to a name even a guy like Oliver Queen was unlikely to forget. A one-shot companion piece to August of "Calendar Girl."


**Warning**: This can be read as a stand-alone if you're not familiar with the verse, but if you are, there are spoilers for "Notbroken."

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><p><em><strong>One Night Out, Two Lives Changed <strong>_

There was nothing quite like being blamed for something that was out of a person's control, but that was the truth of Oliver Queen's status of his own company. CEO, yet more of a figurehead if he was speaking honestly. The senior staff trusted him enough on small matters, because they knew the way he was portrayed in the press was highly exaggerated, but to them, he was still a boy, someone that didn't live up to his father, a man Oliver himself barely knew.

He wasn't sure what it would take to change their minds, or what it would take to change the way the press dictated his name, although what he was currently doing wasn't exactly helping his case. But he needed this, even if it meant sitting in a corner by himself. After all, he was still in university, so going out to drink was normal, but not like this. However, Oliver had cut ties with his entourage, realizing that their reputations wasn't what he wanted for himself, and this year was about starting fresh, finding the right kind of people. This meant Oliver had ward off several rounds of flirtation from his ex-girlfriend, Kerri. Oliver didn't know what he ever saw in her, but he knew she was his past.

There had to be something better, someone different than the clichéd girl falling over her feet to claim that she had met/talked/slept with the great Oliver Queen. But who was he kidding? He knew what this place had to offer, because if he wanted more refined tastes in anything, he would have stayed home.

Yet instead, here he sat, alone, swirling a glass of scotch, watching as the seconds ticked by. Seeing the way people grinded against each other, but it meant nothing, the way they downed drinks with no care in the world. That used to be his life, and it made Oliver sick. His final year at SCU started next month, and it felt like nothing had progressed.

Whether he was a child, a teen, or an adult, the idea of Oliver taking over Queen Industries still seemed daunting. There were days he even doubted the decisions he made to have a 'regular' social life. That said, he was fortunate that his senior staff trusted him enough, especially considering some of the headlines that had accumulated over the years. Some were true, unfortunately, but most were fabricated to sell a paper, and after awhile, Oliver gave up trying to sue the tabloids. He knew he was better than this, which is why things had to start changing.

He had to grow up, take hold of what remained of his parents, even with the tough decisions that are required in maintaining a company, even if it means firing hundreds to save thousands. No one expected him to care about their circumstances, but he did, which is why he was here.

That thought caused Oliver to down the rest of the scotch in his glass, and before he even had a chance to put it back on the table, a waitress placed another glass on the table, politely saying it was on the house, and walked away with a smile.

_Typical_, he thought. Impress the big spender to increase its reputation.

He held his glass out and peered towards the other side of the bar, stopping his gaze at a blonde across the club he had noticed once before an hour ago. _She _was different, or at least, based on her appearance. She looked... respectful, and completely bored by the guy keeping her company. Oliver almost let out a chuckle as she was clearly zoning out. Normally, he wouldn't hesitate in walking over to a woman to save her from a bad situation, but instead he sat back. Tonight wouldn't be about going through the old motions. No, tonight was about saying goodbye to his bad habits, find quality in his life in the things that actually mattered.

Or at least, that's what he thought until he saw the same woman walking his way, looking straight at him. He felt confused, but before he could say anything, he noticed her tilt her head towards the guy Oliver had seen sitting beside her, and mouth _Help me_.

Again, this wasn't exactly new territory for Oliver, and while he thought about refusing, he figured he'd help her out, and then they'd go their separate ways. Completely harmless.

So he did his usual smile, the confident stride towards her, and he stuck to basic PDA, a hug. But that's when he sensed there was something different about this encounter. She tensed as he wrapped his arms around her, something Oliver had never experienced before.

"You were supposed to call me when you got here," she said softly.

She began to back away, but Oliver tried to sell the act more than she was, kissing her cheek quickly, and then smoothing his palm down her arm. "The place is crowded tonight; I tried finding you after my phone died."

As if a switch went up in her confidence, she muttered, "Satisfied?" her head just barely turned to the side to acknowledge, but not face, the guy who had followed her.

With little hesitance, he walked away, giving Oliver a quick glare before turning around. He heard her snicker lightly as she noticed him walking away, but her nerves escalate once again as she looked back up at Oliver.

Was there a chance that to her... he was just a regular guy? Was it possible he had found the one person where there was no preconceived notions, no tall expectations, just a guy in a bar who helped her out?

He thought about reaching out, but considering her reaction to his touch earlier, he resisted, and instead said, "You okay?"

She slightly nodded, even smiled momentarily, but she refused to look up at him again. "Yeah... thanks for that..."

"Oliver. Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine. I'm Chloe." With that, Oliver not only had a name, but one hundred percent confirmation that Chloe didn't know who he was, even if she refused to look him in the eyes.

In fact, she was so nervous that she attempted to walk away, but Oliver stopped her.

"Maybe you should stick around... keep the wolves away."

It was a hail mary at best, but it seemed to do the trick. Chloe finally looked up, and to Oliver's surprise, she smiled as she saw him grinning at her. She was likely still nervous, but had seen enough logic in his offer to reply, "I think that's probably a good idea."

Gesturing towards his table, Oliver waited for her to react. A chance for real conversation wasn't exactly something Oliver got often, and he had a feeling that Chloe could give him just that.

**~0~**

The night had started as a way to kill time, his guilt, or his worries, possibility a combination of all three, but it had turned into one of the best decisions he had ever made thanks to Chloe. Once she allowed herself to open up, Oliver was able to see how smart, quick-witted, and beautiful this woman really was. It was a tough situation she was in, but once they got past the drama, Oliver had her smiling and laughing, and it was a much better look on her.

But as he headed back to their table with their refills, Oliver was surprised to see the table empty. He had hoped that she had just gone to the bathroom, but as he put the drinks down, he noticed a napkin with some writing on it.

_Thanks for being my knight in shining leather, _

_Chloe_

It wasn't the send-off Oliver was hoping for, but he supposed that he could deal with it. That is, he could until he saw her heading to the entrance. He started heading towards her, and he watched as Chloe grabbed her coat from someone, and then looked back into the crowd one last time. Their eyes never met, but Oliver kept moving regardless. She was someone he could use in his life, platonically of course. Considering their circumstances, being anything more than friends wouldn't work for either side.

Opening the door to leave the club, Oliver heard a familiar voice, it just wasn't hers.

"He's pretty famous in the tabs, I'm surprised you never heard of him."

Go figure, out of everyone Chloe could have come with, her cousin was none other than Lois Lane, a tabloid reporter that had wanted an exclusive from him for months. While this meant he was no longer just Oliver for Chloe, she was still being genuine. She had no idea who he was before now.

"Come on Lo, it's not like I have time to read that trash."

That was encouraging, something they agreed on. But he felt awkward following them so he turned around and began to walk away, until he heard Lois say, "your articles for the Torch."

It could have been a coincidence, but that was enough for him to stop and eavesdrop in time to hear the confirmation, as Chloe said _Smallville_.

Oliver had spent hours poring over information in regards to LuthorCorp's less than legal activities, yet the closest he ever got to an article about them came from The Torch, a high school paper in Smallville, written by a girl named _Chloe_ Sullivan.

Again, he could be over-thinking, but the way she talked to him about her hometown, the way she talked about her journalistic sense, there was something about her that made him realize, even platonically, Chloe was smarter than most women he had ever met. That also meant she was way out of his league.

But watching the car pull away, Oliver grinned lightly. The clichéd thought is that playboys like the challenge, and if Oliver was going to change his act, he was going to start by not giving up on Chloe. Everything told him that she was someone worth holding onto, and he knew he could use someone reliable in his life. Only, it wasn't because of the challenge that he was doing this. Pulling the napkin out of his pocket, he began to head to his car, realizing that, even if he wanted to, even if he didn't know about her articles, Chloe Sullivan wasn't a name Oliver would likely forget. 

_**~End~**_


End file.
